Beginning Monday, November 1st, a joint “We Love Our School” campaign between the Wayne County Association of Educators and Wayne County Public Schools officially kicked off in conjunction with Parent & Family Engagement Month. As a part of the campaign, a special “We Love Our School” t-shirt sale initiative will be held to help raise money for schools. The specially designed t-shirts are unique to each school, and are intended to help build pride and boost morale by allowing participating students, families, staff, and community members who purchase a shirt to visibly display their support for a school when they wear it.
“The Wayne County Association of Educators recognizes the many challenges public schools are facing during this pandemic as well as the added stress put on our students, staff, and communities,” states Tiffany Kilgore, WCAE president. “This fundraiser not only shows our love of our schools, students, and staff, but it offers an opportunity to raise some much needed funding for each school to address student needs.”
As part of the campaign, schools will be encouraged to have special days or opportunities for students, staff, and families to wear their shirts to help promote school pride. The “We Love Our School” t-shirts are $15-$17 based on size. Five dollars from every shirt will go directly to the school which is recognized in a purchased design. Organizers say they are excited to launch this unique collaborative initiative as part of a joint effort to positively impact schools.
“Our two organizations began working on this initiative at the start of the school year as the outcome of a joint meeting between leadership,” states Ken Derksen, WCPS Executive Director for Community Engagement and Student & Family Support. “We appreciate the willingness of the WCAE to take the lead with the fundraising aspects of the campaign and for its collaboration with the t-shirt designs and other logistics.”
Each year, the district celebrates November as Parent & Family Engagement Month. District leaders state that the annual recognition is important because the children of Wayne County are the district’s most valuable resource, and partnerships that occur between schools, parents, families and communities are critical in helping students succeed.
“The ‘We Love Our School’ campaign not only embodies the qualities that Parent & Family Engagement Month seeks to promote, but it reflects the value and importance of partnerships in enhancing the education experience for our students,” adds Derksen. “WCPS and the WCAE look forward to seeing these t-shirts worn in our schools and across the community, and hope that our students and staff are able to feel the ‘love’ and support for their school as a result.”
T-shirts are now available for purchase and can be ordered by going to https://www.lifesspecialtees.com/weheartwcps. The deadline to order is Saturday, November 13.
“We look forward to seeing the community’s support and participation as we drum up morale and funding as a result of this partnership between WCPS and WCAE.”
